Pizza, Hot Off the Grill

No, not those faux-'talian discs served up with a cardboard tang, courtesy of your local pizza chain.

We're talking about pies with flamelicked crusts puffed to perfection. Pies with pools of earthy olive oil and a slather of savory tomato sauce. Start here, and you may never wait for the delivery man again. Don't say we didn't warn you.

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"Authentic pizza is simple, yet it does amazing things with tastes and textures and aromas," says Mathieu Palombino, chef and owner of Motorino, a Naples-style pizzeria in Brooklyn. "The best pizza satisfies the soul," he says.

After moving to New York in 2000, Palombino worked for Laurent Tourondel, a prestigious French chef. But Palombino couldn't shake his taste for the homemade pizza he ate as a child in an Italian family. So last year he opened Motorino, where the pizza ovens run on wood and his burning passion.

He pulls a pizza margherita out of the 900°F oven. Molten mozzarella bubbles, fresh basil melds with red sauce, and steam rises from the puffed, crackling crust.

"This doesn't look like Pizza Hut, does it?" he says.

But you don't have go to Naples or even New York City for a taste of old-world pizza. Try your backyard.

"Besides an authentic brick oven, your grill is the best way to cook a pizza," says Palombino. "It's much faster than your home oven, there's less mess, and you have more control over the quality of your pizza."

With Palombino as your sous chef, you'll be flinging dough and melding delicious toppers like a true pizzaiolo. Why tip the delivery guy when you can do it better yourself? Step 1: Develop Your Dough "You can make good dough in a few very easy steps," Palombino says. The key is exact measurements and a brief workout for your forearms.

How to make it:1. Let the yeast dissolve in the warm water for about 5 minutes.

2. Combine the flour and salt and dump the mixture onto a flat surface. Make a depression in the middle, pour the yeast and water into it, and combine the dry and wet ingredients by hand until the dough starts to come together. Keep working the dough with the palms of your hands for 7 to 8 minutes, and then let it rest at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until it doubles in size. Now punch it down, squeezing out all the air bubbles. Cut the dough into four equal pieces and shape them into balls. Place them in the fridge for another 2 hours.

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3. For each pizza, dust your table and the top of a dough ball with flour. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Use the tips of your fingers to stretch it outward to a 10-inch circle, with the edges thicker than the center. Leftover dough (kept in ball form) will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

Tip: Nervous about making your own dough? Your local pizza shop may sell premade dough balls.

Step 2: Whip Up The Sauce "The best sauce is simple," says Palombino. "No tricks." His recipe will take you about 5 minutes to make and will taste far fresher than any jarred sauce.

What you'll need: 1 can (28 oz) peeled San Marzano tomatoes, like Cento How to make it: Wash your hands and dump the entire contents of the can into a bowl. Squeeze each tomato until the sauce is smooth but not soupy. Chunks are okay.

Tip: Apply the sauce using a wide, flat spoon, instead of a deep ladle, for a more uniform consistency.

Go on to the next page to learn how to put together a well-balanced pie...

Step 3: Assemble Your Toppings

Well-balanced pies have four or five ingredients, tops, says Palombino. So pick your toppings wisely. "Choose your ingredients as if you were shopping 100 years ago," he says -- fresh cheese, fresh vegetables, fresh tomatoes. Start with Palombino's pie chart, but don't be afraid of improv: "The best flavors come from experimentation," Palombino says. Olive oil High heat can wreck good olive oil, says Palombino; spread it on last, after cooking. Pecorino Romano/Parmesan These cheeses work as a salt substitute.

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Herbs It's summer, and you can grow these fresh herbs in a garden plot, or even on your windowsill.

Cheese/Meat Shop at an Italian market, or try marianofoods.com. White Pizza Usually a mix of cheeses, punched up with finely chopped garlic and a drizzle of olive oil.

Vegetables Cut them thin to speed cooking.

Go on to the next page to fire up the grill...

Step 4: Crank The Grill

No brick oven? Try the Weber! You'll have sufficient heat to make several pizzas in 30 to 40 minutes.

Bring the heat1. Charcoal Use a chimney starter; lighter fluid tastes lousy. When the coals are hot, toss on a handful of presoaked wood chips (apple or cherry) and wait until the chips start smoking.

2. Gas/Electric Ratchet the heat to 500°F, and then lower to medium or medium low. The grates will be hot enough to cook your crust. Fire the crust Transfer the crust onto the grill using a well-floured pizza board ($10, www.webstaurantstore.com) or cookie tray. Grill the crust uncovered for 20 seconds, or until the dough is slightly charred and rigid. Rotate it 90 degrees and cook for another 20 seconds. Now flip the crust; cook it for another 30 seconds. Remove it from the grill. Fire the toppings With the crosshatched side up, top your pizza. Return it to the heat and cover the grill. Cook the pie for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts, the ingredients cook through, and the bottom is well charred.

Indulge Remove the pizza and finish it with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous shake of Parmesan or pecorino Romano. Cut into quarters and serve.

How to cook the beans Blanch the fava beans by boiling them in salted water for about 1 minute. Let them cool and then pinch the beans to remove their membranes. Transfer them to ice water to cool. If you're using peas, peel them from their pods and blanch them for 1 minute.

Tip: Drop denser vegetables (like broccoli, green beans, or asparagus) into boiling salted water for a minute and a half, before you anoint the pizza.

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